


Roddy and Rita Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple

by cogsandsprings



Category: Flushed Away (2006)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Honeymoon, Plot, So cartoony stuff, nothing crazy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cogsandsprings/pseuds/cogsandsprings
Summary: Roddy and Rita are on a completely normal honeymoon trip to New York City. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Rita/Roddy St. James
Kudos: 2





	1. CARGO HOLD

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a fic with major plot that I'm still writing! I have it all planned out I just need to write it, which may or may not take a while. The full thing is planned to be 12 chapters so buckle up! The title is probably temporary; sorry I couldn't think of anything. Enjoy the fic though!

The wedding had been beautiful. Nothing too lavish – Roddy and Rita had both agreed there were more important things to spend the ruby money on. There was, however, one thing Rita’s parents had insisted they splurge on: the honeymoon. 

“So where are you taking her? Rita’s father had asked Roddy. At Roddy’s weak shrug and mumbled “…Paris…?” he had received a flat look. Rita’s father put his hand on Roddy’s shoulder and said, “Romantic but generic. Besides, you wouldn’t want to have another frog incident. She loves adventure – think of something exciting!”

And that was how Roddy and Rita had ended up in line to board a human airplane to New York City (at a rat entrance out of the way, of course). Rita was practically vibrating with excitement besides him, seemingly itching to rush on board but knowing they all had to wait until the humans weren’t looking. Roddy decided to distract her. 

“Never been on a plane before?”

“Nope!” Rita grinned at him, actually bouncing on her toes now. “This is so exciting!”

Roddy smiled, unable to resist her contagious happiness. “I’m rather excited myself, but we’ll be in the cargo hold. Do you think there’ll be windows there?” Roddy doubted it personally, but who knew?

“Ooh if it doesn’t we’ve got to figure out how to see the sky, Rods, please!” 

“Of course, we’ll figure something out.” Roddy really hoped they could do it, since it might be difficult to get a flight home if they were banned. 

Then the line began to move and the rats ran towards the suitcases that had been momentarily left unattended. Roddy and Rita zipped themselves into a smaller, hard-shelled suitcase and folded themselves into the clothes with several others, as they had been instructed. 

The whole world tilted crazily as the suitcase was picked up and thrown into the cargo hold. The resulting jolt was hard enough that Roddy’s teeth clacked together, and he thought the whole ordeal was really rather rude. 

Eventually one of the plane rats came to unzip their suitcase and told them it was safe to move about the cargo hold and if they wanted to see the sky they would not be able to. Because they were flying by day there were many humans in the cabin and they couldn’t risk being seen. 

Roddy agreed amicably, then after the man walked away, gave Rita his “oh, but we’re totally doing it anyway” smirk. She responded with her “absolutely we are holy shit” smirk. So it was decided. They would see the sky.


	2. THE CABIN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally make their move to see the sky.

It was about halfway through the flight and they STILL hadn’t gone above board. They had agreed on their plan and memorized the plane rats’ walking circuits. They had no idea what the situation would be like above, but Rita personally thought they thrived on unknowns (and oh, didn’t the idea of “they” just give her butterflies? They were a team now). 

Still, she poked at Roddy, who was clearly faking reading the travel guidebook, and whispered, “Rods, when can we go?”

Without looking directly at him, Roddy nodded at the biggest rat, a guard really, and whispered, “As soon as that big fella passes. He seems a bit slow on reaction time and he’s got a bit of a limp. We should be able to get past him even if he notices us.” 

“Great. Good.” Rita thought it was a sound plan, honestly, but the bloody bugger was so damned far away and she wanted to go now! 

“You’ll see your sky, darling.” Roddy put his book down, placing an arm around Rita’s waist and kissing her on the cheek. She loved this man. 

After what felt like an age, the guard lumbered past and they were both off like a shot, clambering across luggage as quietly as possible. They needed to reach the air vent in the ceiling before the other guard reached the location above. 

They made it as far as the top piece of luggage before the guard rounded on them. Damn, Rita thought, I won’t be seeing the sky after all. 

Before she knew what was happening Roddy pressed her against the wall, kissing her and moaning a bit too loud for her tastes. Oh, so that was the game, was it? Rita closed her eyes but kept her ears open and heard the guard’s accelerated footsteps. Rita threw her arms around Roddy’s shoulders and moaned exaggeratedly too. The guard practically broke into a jog then, slowing as he disappeared to climb down the luggage. 

Roddy and Rita broke apart then, giggling like teenagers. Pressing one last peck to Roddy’s lips, Rita whispered, “We’d better get a move on before we get carried away.”

“Hm. You’re right, but I don’t like it.” Roddy smooched her again, probably just so he could get the last kiss in. Rita decided she would let him have it since he was helping her with this. 

They got to work unscrewing the vent panel and got inside just in time for the next guard to arrive. He thankfully didn’t notice them holding the grate in place with their fingers. After he passed they gently leaned the grate against the vent and began climbing. Rita’s heart started beating faster. This was where they’d have to be quick – the next guard would surely notice the displaced grate and come after them. Rita grinned – she loved a chase. 

Sure enough as they were approaching a bend in the vent to make it horizontal they heard a guard yell, “Hey! I see you! Get back here!” 

Roddy paused above her but Rita pushed against his bum to keep him going. She saw the guard climbing fast below them and slapped Roddy’s bum repeatedly to goad him into going faster. Message received, the two reached the horizontal bend and broke into a run. They could see the grate to the cabin vent ahead! They could do it! 

They skidded to a stop in front of the grate, hearing the guard climbing onto the horizontal part of the vent. 

“You two! Stop it!” he whisper-shouted at them as they began unscrewing. 

“There’s nobody even over here!” Rita responded. She really had no idea, but she would be damned if this absolute plonker stopped her from seeing the sky. 

Finally they got the screws out and frantically leapt through right as the guard reached them. Without looking they ran for the alcove in the far wall. It seemed as if they were at the front of the plane. Rita glanced around the corner of the alcove and saw the plane was packed with humans. Damn! Not that way, then. She looked up and saw the alcove had a door with a window. Yes! 

The guard was holding the grate in place with one hand and gesturing wildly at them with the other to return. Rita waved, feigning ignorance, and began climbing some sort of netting with Roddy. 

This was it. They reached the top of the netting and jumped over onto the window ledge. The sky!

It was beautiful. A vibrant blue background and fluffy white clouds that looked soft enough to sleep on. The landscape seemed endless and surreal, displaced from any time or location where one could relax forever. Oh, she could have looked at this view for the full seven hours! Humans were so lucky to have this. 

Eventually, Roddy touched the small of her back and nodded at the vent where the guard looked about ready to burst a blood vessel waiting for them. Rita nodded too and they made their way back down to the vent. The guard grabbed them both by the biceps and dragged them through the vents back down to the cargo hold. There, another guard began re-screwing the grate as the first guard berated them for taking such a dangerous risk. “If you two had been seen we ALL would have been exposed! This is your first strike; two more and you’re on our no-fly list.”

Roddy smirked. “Oh the one was all we needed. Thanks for the escort back old chum, but I think we can find our way from here.” Roddy winked at the man and looped his arm through Rita’s as the guard looked like he actually HAD burst a blood vessel by this point. She smothered her cackle with a coughing fit. 

Roddy slapped her back playfully, “You all right, Rita?” he joked. 

Rita let her full laughter ring out and kissed Roddy soundly. She really did love this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rita is SUCH an adrenaline junkie. I wonder what other situations she'll get them into...


	3. NEW YORK CITY - THE RITZ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roddy and Rita finally arrive in New York City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer right now I have never been to New York, which may not come into difficulty until chapter 6 or so? We'll see how big of a problem it ends up being. Worst case scenario, I've seen New York on TV lol. Enjoy this chapter, which contains a lot of world building and exposition!

It had taken Roddy months to arrange all of it, but their lodgings were mercifully ready for them when they landed. They were escorted by Nate, the rat Roddy had briefly contracted as a driver, to a manhole cover near the airport. He explained, “The Above and Under Ground are really integrated here, so it’s all New York, you know? But it takes forever to get anywhere in the AG so we have to travel UG. It’s faster and safer.” He shrugged. “Anyway, where to?”

Roddy cleared his throat nervously. It was meant to be a surprise, but. Ah, well. “Um, the Ritz Cracker Hotel, please.” 

“Oh, Rods, you didn’t!” Rita squeaked. “That’s so fancy oh my god! Do my parents know you did this?” she pointed an accusatory finger at him. 

He waved his hands defensively, wanting to nip that thought right in the bud. “They rubber stamped the whole trip!” He rubbed at Rita’s shoulders, “Now, let’s both sit back and relax, and you let me shower you with experiences.”

Just then the boar sped around the corner, revealing the Under Ground. Roddy watched Rita’s face as they rode by the architecture and smiled. 

“Is that, what, a hair clip? God I never thought to use a pencil like that! A takeout box, genius! Rods would you look at all this?” 

“Yep,” Roddy said, somewhat smug that his location choice was a hit. “They say the New York Under Ground had the most creative architecture in the world.” He crossed his arms and leaned back. 

“Rods, you absolute madman, I love you so much!” Rita flung herself at him and kissed him hard. She pulled back to look him in the eyes with an intense gaze. “I am gonna get so many ideas I’ll be sick with it.” She kissed him again then leaned over to point out…a banana peel…? Roddy didn’t know at this point, but he was glad she was excited. 

The Ritz Cracker Hotel was an enormous, solid-looking structure fashioned out of the planks from several wooden crates with beautiful carvings of cheese, wine, and grapes that had obviously been made by rats. The craftsmanship was stunning, Roddy thought. Roddy watched Rita’s mouth fall open in awe of the beautiful structure. “This is where we’re staying for a whole week?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” Roddy was a bit in awe himself. The building was towering, seemingly grazing the sewer ceiling. It really was a marvel of rat construction. 

“Well, we’re here,” Nate said, tying off the boat and helping Roddy and Rita out. “I’ll let you two get settled in, and per our agreement you have the boat for the week. I’ve left a map for you and it lists AG attractions too. Enjoy your honeymoon, lovebirds!” Nate flagged down the valet, who gave Roddy and Rita a ticket and took the boat away, and disappeared into a nearby restaurant. 

Roddy and Rita were immediately approached by a bellhop who took their luggage to an elevator. “An elevator, oh my god!” Rita whispered. 

The elevator was a small wooden box that was raised by an operator jacking a lever to move gears. The result was somewhat loud, but relatively smooth. Rita asked a multitude of questions to the operator, who answered happily all the way to their floor, glad someone was interested in his work. 

After exiting, Rita turned, “Oh, wait! How does it go back down -”

At that, the elevator plummeted silently before them until all that could be heard was the grinding of the gears as the operator pulled the lever to slow it. Roddy stood, mouth gaping in fear. They were going to have to do that. Every. Day. For a week. Oh, god. 

He turned to Rita who was grinning maniacally. Oh no. “I love this place!” she cackled. She slapped Roddy on the back. It was going to be a long week. 

They followed the bellhop to their room, which WAS fancy. The furniture, instead of being scavenged, was constructed, and rather nicely at that. The bed was solid wood with an actual stuffed mattress and pillows in a rich burgundy color. There were constructed couches in the same burgundy and even fluffy, rat-sized robes hanging in the bathroom next to the large tub. However, the best part of the room was the view. The window overlooked the city below and they could see for miles down the tunnel until the overhead lights went black. It seemed as if the city was alive with the way everything was moving, teeming with life. They could see large structures moving, both for construction and amusement, in the fluorescent lighting. It was captivating. 

Rita stood for some minutes pressed to the glass, staring desperately as if it would all disappear if she turned for even a moment and so she needed to memorize it all. Roddy moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his head on her shoulder. “Do you like your honeymoon, Rita?” He asked, sultry. 

“Yes I do, Roddy,” she replied, equally sultry. She kissed him over her shoulder, then turned away from the window at last to face Roddy. “I like it very much…” she dragged a finger down Roddy’s chest, causing his to shiver as she walked him backwards towards the bed. 

Roddy thought they were going to have a _magnificent _week.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We saw a lot of stuff in the movie that was clearly repurposed human trash, so I thought maybe New York rats do more construction and craftsmanship? Lots of different influences from the Above Ground, since they're more easily connected with manholes and such than the movie, where it seemed nearly impossible to get Up Top. What keeps the humans from going down there in New York though...?


	4. NEW YORK CITY - THE UNDER GROUND

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roddy and Rita spend some quality honeymoon time together, so of course the plot must thicken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some new characters introduced and some...reintroduced! Enjoy folks :)

The next day, Rita woke up first and grinned as she recognized her surroundings. Oh perfect! Today they could finally go out and explore the city! Not that last night hadn’t been fantastic and all but she was so excited to cook up new scavenging ideas and learn a little about construction. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning; she couldn’t wait to see the city like unwrapping a present. 

She shook Roddy. He had slept long enough, surely. “Rods, wake up! We gotta get up and do stuff!”

Roddy blearily opened his eyed and felt around until his hand landed on Rita’s shoulder. He pulled at her weakly, “Rita, five more minutes. We were up kind of late, you know.” 

Well, that was true. “Fine. You can sleep until I’m done showering but then it’s up for real!”

Eventually they got dressed and called the valet to bring their boat. Rita was practically jumping for joy and she immediately drove the boat around to a nearby dock and checked the maps. “Okay, where to, Rods? We’ve got museums, restaurants, parks, what’ll it be?” she asked nonchalantly. She definitely knew what she wanted to do but she wanted to make sure Roddy got a say in things. It was his honeymoon too. 

Roddy smiled fondly and rolled his eyes. “I was thinking we could hit up the UG Museum of Rat Architecture and History? I’ll navigate.” He plucked the map from Rita’s hands and settled in next to her. 

“Oh, Rods, you’re a star!” Rita kissed him on the cheek and revved up the boat. The museum wasn’t very far, she thought. 

Soon enough, they rounded a corner and the Under Ground Museum of Rat Architecture and History came looming into view. “The guidebook says this is the most architecturally complex building ever attempted by rats in the American continent.” Roddy said, happy to be able to impart knowledge. 

Rita was hardly listening. This was surely the most delicate looking building she had ever seen. They had made the building with a gilded metal frame and all glass walls, to let the light in. There were also some colored panels, and Rita was dying to see what those looked like from the inside. The building was at once beautiful and utilitarian, fragile and sturdy. Rita couldn’t wait to read the displays. 

Inside after checking in, they looked at the museum map to see what to look at first. “I’m always a proponent of looking at the history of things. Fine if we start there?” Roddy raised an eyebrow and Rita supposed she had to concede that he let her pick this, so she could let him see the history part first. 

After the fact, Rita had to admit that it actually was pretty fascinating. The first rats in the Americas came over from Russia with the fur trade, but New York rats actually came on boats from Europe with the first colonizers. At first, due to pest control in the form of cats and other pets, the rats were driven to the forest and only the bravest remained in the colonies scrounging for food. Here, the rats learned construction of simple wooden buildings from watching humans and made a few structures on the ground in the forest. Many humans mistook these for “fairy dwellings” and either destroyed them or left food offerings. Such an unstable dwelling was not ideal and the rats soon decided the risk of living within the colony was more rewarding. They learned many tricks of construction and engineering from watching humans and gained many supplies as well, though not without risk. Many rats died this way until eventually, humans developed plumbing and created the sewers. Rats almost immediately moved down there, where they could stay safe and undisturbed while also being able to access food and trash from the Above Ground. Rats still borrow items from human culture, including technology such as phones, that they can put to use in the Under Ground to this day. Rita thought it was fascinating, and paid its full dues to scavenger culture. It was tough work and she liked that New Yorkers acknowledged the danger. She was ready to move to the architecture now! 

Roddy noticed her change in energy and smiled indulgently. “Oh, you’re finally done reading every single plaque in this place? Ready to see architectural displays, finally?” He laughed kindly. 

Rita flushed and huffed indignantly. “If they didn’t want those plaques to be read they shouldn’t put them up, that’s all I’m saying!” 

“I know, I know, come on then.” Roddy hugged her from the side fondly as they walked over to the next level up. 

The inside of the museum was very open, with catwalks around the edges of the room with structural supports decorating the room like aerial sculptures. Rita’s jaw dropped as she took in the twisted metals, seemingly floating, but actually holding the weight of the building very securely. She was no physicist, but after living in such a rickety house her whole life she had a good sense of how sturdy things were. They looked to a casual observer to be decorative but Rita knew they were solid. It was stunning both visually and mathematically. 

Then there was the windows, LORD. Non-colored light came in seemingly from all sides despite the colored panels, and it was the landscaping outside the building that reflected the light through the windows to produce that effect. Rita read a nearby plaque, which informed her that the glass was specially made to diffuse light evenly, so the reflections from the waterways would not blind the inhabitants of buildings and the colors would not interrupt their work while still providing decoration. There was an interactive display with regular glass and the dispersing glass and Rita was gone. 

Roddy came up next to her and muttered, “How did they do it though?” 

“Oh I don’t know but I would kill to find out! London has this problem big time with our canals and I’d love to bring something useful back, since there’s so little light as it is and all the electrical is dangerous with the water!” Rita moaned. 

“I believe I can help with that.” A woman nearby approached them. “I am Veronique, the director of the museum. I got my start as a scavenger then transferred to engineering with glass before I came here.” She approached them and began a lengthy explanation of the process of coating the glass with a layer of diffusing film that is clear enough to see through but softens the light so as to not make it too harsh. Roddy tuned out pretty quickly, not for overly complicated explanations that one, but Rita hung on every word. It was a fascinating process and Veronique offered to give them a tour of the museum. 

They spent nearly four hours at the museum before Rita’s stomach started growling. “Whoops, I guess it’s lunch time. Thanks for everything, Veronique. I’d love to come back sometime.” Rita saluted her casually. 

“It was nice to talk to other scavengers and to meet you both. Here’s my card if you ever want to meet again. I’ll be sure to make time for it.” Veronique handed them a card with neat, handwritten information for herself. 

“Will do. Thank you again for the tour!” Roddy called out as they left the museum. They decided quickly on a Chinese restaurant nearby and settled in to eat. 

“That was incredible,” Rita said through a mouthful of noodles, “I could’ve spent all day in there if it weren’t for my stomach! God this is good food too.” 

“Agreed on the food and the museum. Though I am glad Veronique toned down the explanations. My head was positively spinning from that window explanation.” Roddy continued to eat, but as Rita picked up her chopsticks to take another bite she noticed someone enter the restaurant. It was Nate. He wandered over to the back and said something to the chef, who let him in behind the doors. 

“Wasn’t that Nate?” Roddy asked, having noticed him as well. 

“Yes it was,” Rita said thoughtfully. The chef had noticed them looking and made a face at them to show he didn’t appreciate it. “Well,” she said, finishing her meal, “I think this calls for a little exploration of the premises.”

Roddy smiled at her before slurping up the last of his noodles, “That’s what I love about you Rita. Always in it for the excitement.” 

They paid for their meals and left the building nonchalantly, before walking around to the back outside. Lucking there was just a piece of fabric hanging instead of a door so they could hear everything being said. 

“You’re early. What do you want?” a gruff voice from inside said. 

“Just checking up on you, what’s wrong with that? The bosses won’t be very happy if they find out you’re slacking.” Nate laughed meanly. 

“Those bastards will get their little meal don’t worry about that. But I will warn you, pickings are getting slim. You may need to find a supplier AG who can get you the goods instead.”

Nate stepped closer to the man and said lowly, “Are you backing out of the deal?”

“N-no, I just – ”

“Maybe I should take you with me to the Badlands tomorrow and you can explain the situation to our generous benefactors, hmm?”

“No, that’s not –“

“It’s decided then!” Nate clapped his hands. “We’ll come get you here at 10 am.” His footsteps came closer to the fabric covered doorway then paused. “And if you’re not here, well, we’ll find you anyway.” 

Roddy and Rita decided that was their moment to book it back to their boat. They sped away just in time and came to a stop outside an art museum. 

“I can’t believe I hired that man as a driver. What was that all about?” Roddy asked indignantly. 

“I don’t know,” Rita said, “but it looks like we’ll need to go to these ‘Badlands’ to find out.” 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, ma’am.” An old man lumbered over to them. “The Badlands is where the gators are and you ain’t wanna mess with the gators. How rats get eaten.”

“Gators…rats getting eaten…? Where are these Badlands exactly? You know, so we don’t wander into them accidentally?” Rita asked innocently, knowing it was likely not going to work. 

The old man sighed. “I can see you’re determined, so I ain’t gonna stop ya, but anywhere there’s black,” he pointed far down the tunnel where the lights went dark, “is gator territory. Local gangs get involved too. People been disappearing lately. I’d stay out of it if I were you two.”

“Which tunnel exactly?” Roddy interjected hopefully. 

The man sighed again and rolled his eyes. “Fine. All the tunnels are dead ends except for the West tunnel, which is blocked by rubble. I’d say that’s your best bet. Keep your lights off; the gators don’t like it.”

“Thanks!” Rita waved to the man and they were off again. 

To the Badlands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh what's going on in the Badlands??? Maybe Roddy and Rita will find out next chapter... 
> 
> If you're enjoying it I'd love to see your comments! What you liked, what you think will happen, I wanna hear it all <3


	5. THE BADLANDS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roddy and Rita hit the Badlands. What will they find?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in updating! Real life got in the way for a hot minute there. Have a post-American election day treat!

The ride to the Badlands was almost surreal; it was a gradual lessening of activity and light culminating in an almost total quiet and stillness. Roddy was quite unnerved. This was absolutely not what he had had in mind for their honeymoon, but it was happening anyway and Rita was quite determined to find out what was going on. 

As they approached the areas of town near the West tunnel, Rita flicked their lights off and stayed to the edges of the waterways. As the blackness overcame them completely, Rita cut the engine and let them drift. The soft rocking of the boat was nearly the only sensation Roddy could process and he shivered. Rita put an arm around his shoulders, “We’ve got to figure this out, Rods. If people are getting fed to bleeding alligators we ought to do something about it.”

“I know and I agree, I just don’t like that it’s so dark and quiet. Puts me on edge,” he whispered back. 

“I get it. Me too. But look!” Rita pointed out a boat approaching the darkness that had just turned off its headlights. As the boat came to a stop in the middle of the waterway they flashed their lights three times and kept them on. 

“That must be them, trying to attract the alligators,” Rita breathed, crouching next to Roddy by the edge of their boat. Roddy was regretting this more and more by the minute. He had never seen a real alligator before and he certainly didn’t want this to be the debut. 

They could just barely hear anything, they were so far away, but they could make out Nate yelling, “Come out come out wherever you are!” 

“I don’t like this,” Roddy whispered. He was nearly shaking at this point. 

“They’re just lizards, right? Hardly bigger than us! Nothing to worry about Rods.” Rita shrugged it off. 

Roddy realized at this point that his wife only had a vague idea of what an alligator was and that she was vastly underestimating the danger they were in. 

Before he could say anything back, there was a massive current that swept their boat into the side of the sewer. It hardly made any noise above the water, but Roddy and Rita ducked under the railing of the boat anyway. After the water settled down there was silence again. Roddy peeked over the edge just to see what was going on. 

Nate was yelling again. “Don’t be mean! I brought you a treat! He’s gonna explain why things are so slow lately!”

There was silence again, then Roddy could see the huge ripples in the water in the headlights of Nate’s boat. Oh god, here it comes, he thought. 

Rita had poked her head up too now and her eyes were fixed with laser focus on the ripples. “My god, how many are there?” she whispered in disbelief. 

“Just the one.” Roddy breathed. 

The alligator broke the surface of the water. First its sickly-yellow reptilian eye appeared, rolling around and blinking water out of the way. Then its massive, scaly snout. When its head fully breached the water it opened its mouth and let out a hiss that sounded positively evil. “Speak,” he spat. His voice sounded heavy with the weight of eons, a creature from a prehistoric age. Roddy saw Rita shudder. Her mouth was hanging open and she looked genuinely afraid, her wide eyes transfixed on the gator’s jaws. 

They could barely make out the man from the restaurant. Roddy closed his eyes to hear better. “Well, I was mentioning to Nate that we’ll have this week’s supply ready, but there’s fewer and fewer rats around that nobody’ll miss, you know? We might need to go AG. There’s plenty of rats up there. That’s all. Just a little change in supply. No worries.”

The alligator hissed again and splashed his head around in the water, getting the rats on Nate’s boat wet and gently rocking Roddy and Rita’s. 

“Do you know your way around Above Ground?” the gator rumbled. 

“N-no, but! I can figure it out! I’ll send some scouts out and they can see what’s what.”

“I don’t know, boss,” Nate shouted. “Sounds like we could find someone who already knows their way around AG and it would go a lot faster. You wouldn’t have to go hungry or storm the city. We wouldn’t want that.”

The gator squinted its slitted eyes and growled. “No we wouldn’t. In fact, Nate, I’m feeling a mite peckish right now. Why don’t you help me out?” 

Nate suddenly shoved the restaurant owner into the water and the gator disappeared below the surface. The man frantically splashed around, trying to claw his way back to the boat. Rita nearly jumped up, but Roddy grabbed her arm. “Rita, don’t! We could be killed!” 

The gator crashed upwards, crunching the restaurant owner between his jaws and splashed down into the water again. Rita screamed at the sudden action, alerting the others to their presence. Nate’s boat swung its headlights around as the gator chewed on the man. 

“Catch that boat!” Nate shouted. 

Roddy leapt past Rita to the controls of the boat and pushed the thing into action. The engine sputtered. Roddy tried again and got nothing. He looked up; Nate’s boat was closing in on them. They had to get out of there before they got any closer and recognized that it was Nate’s own boat. 

Rita was clearly out of commission, sitting on the deck and staring at nothing with a hand over her mouth. Roddy prayed, turning the key one last time, and the engine roared to life. 

“Yes!” he whisper-shouted. He revved the engine and sped as fast as he could out of the way of the headlights and towards the city. He successfully avoided Nate, but felt something else graze the side of the boat. 

It was the alligator. His yellow eye was fixed on Roddy and seemed confused. “You’re not Nate. That’s his boat…” 

Roddy did the only thing he could think of, which was to gesture and say, “Shh!” 

The gator blinked its scaly eye and suddenly slowed and stopped as they sped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does it all mean? Is Rita okay? Why did the gator let them go? 
> 
> Here is a horrifying alligator hiss for those who would like a reference:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQa996V9AoY


	6. NEW YORK CITY - THE ABOVE GROUND

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roddy and Rita go to the Above Ground to investigate alternative routes to the Badlands. They gain information that complicates things somewhat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a writing spark today so here's another chapter. Chapter 7 is already written so it'll be coming up immediately next.

They were back at the hotel before Rita did anything. She felt totally in shock. She had seen people die before, but nothing as extreme as that. She heard the man’s bones crunch. She shuddered just thinking about it. And that thing, that alligator, was huge! She really had thought it was just going to be rat-sized. She’d never seen another animal that big before, not even when she was Up Top with Roddy. And that poor man… 

Roddy had gently sat her down on the bed and given her some water. She drank it mechanically. She should have done something. Anything. 

As if reading her mind, Roddy gently murmured, “There was nothing that could have been done, Rita. We all would have died if we’d tried.”

Rita’s face crumpled in righteous fury and hot tears slid down her face. Roddy moved to wipe them away but Rita croaked out, “Don’t. I need this.” Thankfully Roddy, dear man, understood and settled for rubbing sow circles into her back. It was nice. 

Eventually, Rita’s tears slowed and she drank some water. Then the gears started turning to other factors. Those alligators were HUGE. She didn’t dwell on that longer than she needed to. How were they not storming the city and eating the inhabitants already? What was keeping them here? Could they find a way past the tunnel blockage to let the gators out? 

“Relax, love, I can feel you thinking.” Roddy took her empty glass and put it on the nightstand. 

“What’s going on with these alligators, Rods?” she squinted at the window, gazing out to the darkness. “Why are they here? Why not just storm the city if they’re so evil?” 

“Well maybe they know they can’t completely destroy their Under Ground prospects, since that’s the easiest way for them to get food?”

“But now that supply is dwindling as word gets out about the gators, they need food from Up Top- I mean, the Above Ground. But if it’s all one city like Nate said when we first got here, then wouldn’t rats continuously flow from side to side?”

“Then the total supply must be dwindling, including the Above Ground! New York City is running out of rats!” 

“Where’s the easiest access point for the West tunnel to bring rats from Above?” Rita asked. 

“Hmmm let’s see…” Roddy pulled out the guidebook and pointed, “It’s pretty far from the hotel. We’d have to take the boat to this manhole here,” he pointed at the one, “and walk the rest of the way Above Ground. Think we can handle it?” 

Rita smiled. “I think it’s high time we go up and see the sights!”

\---

They took their boat to a manhole cover and waited patiently to climb the rat-made ladder tied to the human-sized rungs. 

“Really there isn’t a more efficient way to do this, like an elevator that carries multiple people or something?” Roddy groused. Rita thought it was quite a nice way to exercise really. 

“Pay attention, love, it’s almost our turn.” Rita slipped in front of Roddy so she could climb first.

“Oh no what a horrible view,” Roddy joked, patting Rita’s bum to allude to their time in the airplane vents. 

“Do try to control yourself, Rods. We’re in public after all.” Rita emerged first from the manhole and blinked in the harsh sunlight. She wasn’t particularly fond of human places; too bright and noisy for a rat like her. But Roddy seemed right at home, climbing up behind her. 

They were in an alleyway and the stench of garbage was overwhelming. “Ugh. Let’s get out of here. Try to remember where we are, okay, Rods?”

“Yessir, Captain. Your loyal navigator at your service,” he saluted then waved the guidebook’s map around. 

Rita smooched him loudly on the cheek. “Oh snookums I knew you would remember the map!” she crooned sarcastically. Passerby looked away in disgust. 

“Okay, okay, hush now.” Roddy laughed. “Down to business. I think we go this way.” He pointed further down the alley, where most of the rats were heading. Rita rolled her eyes. Of course it seemed better to keep to the alleys than risk getting stepped on by a human. 

They walked on, keeping an eye out for manholes and checking other entrances besides manholes that would lead to the sewer such as storm drains. They weren’t particularly close yet. 

As they walked, it was clear to them that there really weren’t many rats around, especially none that looked homeless or despondent. The supply of rats really must be dwindling. And if the Above Ground was this bare, then they must have been pulling from here first to avoid disturbing the Under Ground population, Rita thought. Humans hated rats so there were likely more Under Ground anyway. 

After what felt like an age and Rita’s feet were aching from walking, Roddy said, “Aha! We should be right on top of it.” 

They looked up from the map and saw a large wooden crate with a chip in it just bit enough for a couple of rats to squeeze through. Poking her head through the opening, Rita could see the manhole without its cover mostly boarded up with a small elevator leading down. 

“Oh, so criminals and hotels can have elevators, but not public transportation?” Roddy groused. 

Rita elbowed him. “Hush and keep watch! I’m gonna look around a bit.” 

“Be careful! Rita – ” Roddy had tried to stop her but he was too slow. The elevator was the same one that was in their hotel so Rita knew how to work it. Unfortunately she remembered it was loud and that there was quite a sudden drop. So she couldn’t go down, but she could try to peek through the cracks in the floor. 

She knelt down inside the elevator, scratching at loose pieces of wood to see if there were any that would move. There weren’t. She was sure this was their hideout and she needed to at least see. There were sure to be some identifying characteristics, even seeing what material the building was made of was sure to help with all the diverse architecture! She heard footsteps and Roddy frantically whisper-shouted her name. 

“Just a sec,” she whispered back. She almost had this board! 

Suddenly Roddy grabbed her from behind and lifted her bodily behind a pile of trash right as Nate and a few other rats rounded the corner. 

“We’ve found someone who can get us the goods AG, right?” Nate asked, heading into the elevator. 

“Yeah. They say they have a good source of rats. An isolated colony in a human’s house and the human just called the exterminator. Convince em to come UG and no one would miss em.” One of the goons sneered. 

“Perfect. But eventually we’ll need to face up to the facts. We’re plain running out of ammo. We need to think about what we’re going to do about these gators when the supply runs out or we’re toast. There’s no way to control these gators otherwise,” Nate’s voice faded as the elevator dropped. 

“They’re toast, huh…?” Rita squinted. What did that mean…?

Roddy was squinting too. “I thought the gators were running this operation? But now Nate says he and his men are controlling the gators?”

“Ugh this is so complicated!” Rita’s mind felt entirely run-down from their exciting day. “I need to go to bed, Rods. Let’s go back to the hotel. We can order in and think a little bit more about things in the morning.” 

Rita was determined to figure this out.


	7. NEW YORK CITY - THE UNDER GROUND 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roddy and Rita go back down below to see if they can't scrape up more clues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over halfway there! Enjoy

Unfortunately after a full night’s rest, things didn’t look any clearer. Roddy’s mind was spinning in circles as he thought of it all. The gator was evil. The boss, as Nate had called him. But then Nate said he was under their control. A hostage? To what end and how? And what of the rats disappearing? It seemed there really was a rat shortage but could an alligator really live on rats forever? And what was going to happen when the gator did run out of rats to eat? Destroy the city? Why didn’t he just do it now and get his fill? 

Rita was still sleeping – she had had a tiring day yesterday – so Roddy decided to shower and order breakfast. He tried deliberately to not think of the situation in the shower and just let the steam clear his mind, to no avail. 

What was the meaning of all of it? 

He tied on a robe just as there was a knock on the door. He took his breakfast gratefully from the bellhop and set it on the table. Time to wake Rita. 

He rarely was up before Rita so it was a rare treat. When she was this tired she was a heavy sleeper so he delighted in trying new and creative ways to wake her up. 

He sat gently on the bed, then ripped the covers off her. Nothing. Typical. He swept hair off her face. Her face twitched but still nothing. Typical. He blew on her, caressed her, even shook her and still nothing. She must really have been tired. Roddy dragged the tie of his robe up her arm and over her face and her face twitched again. Maybe that was the key? He leaned in and pressed rapid fire kisses to Rita’s face until she awoke, giggling. 

“Rods, oh god, quit it! I’m up, I’m up!” Rita was laughing out loud now. She grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. 

“Not so fast!” Roddy quipped. “I ordered breakfast for us. It’s on the table.” 

Rita sighed dramatically. “I suppose I can wait to love on you until after we finish breakfast.” 

Roddy had been greatly looking forward to getting loved on, but he could see Rita become more serious and thoughtful as she chewed through her pancakes. 

Roddy nudged her with his foot. “Penny for your thoughts, Rita?” He was sure she was thinking the same questions he was earlier. 

“I just can’t figure it out! This alligator is supposedly under the control of a bunch of rats! That huge thing! He could destroy the city if he wanted, but what’s stopping him? And why does he stay here? Clearly rats can’t be the best thing for him to live off of…” Rita furrowed her brow, looking frustrated. Roddy could relate. 

Roddy slid his foot up Rita’s leg. “Maybe…”

Rita raised a brow, smiling at Roddy’s antics. “Yes?”   
“We should…” His foot was at her knee now. 

“Yes,” Rita said excitedly. 

Roddy took his foot away quickly. “Go out and look for clues!”

“YES! Rods, you are the man of my DREAMS! Lemme shower and get dressed. Yes!” Rita raced around the table to give Roddy a deep and wet kiss before skipping off to the bathroom. 

He blushed deeply, allowing himself a besotted grin. He really loved her. 

\---

They were out in the city now, careful to avoid the dodgy parts in case they ran into Nate again, but also trying to find dodgy enough people to tell them what was going on in the dodgy parts of town. It was a process. A fruitless process that had taken all morning. 

Roddy sighed. “Maybe we SHOULD just go to the dodgy parts, Rita. What’s the worst that could happen?” At her pointed look he amended, “…besides getting eaten by an alligator. Right. Okay. But still, we’re not getting anywhere. We should expand a little.”

Rita considered it for a moment, then sighed. “You’re right. Remember yesterday after the Chinese place where we met that homeless man? What if we look there for him and see if we can find any information. By the art museum I think it was.” She rummaged among Roddy’s things for the travel guide. “Yeah, the art museum. Look here.” She pointed to the map, where the art museum sat not too far from where they currently were. 

“All right. Let’s go.” Roddy said. It was a good start, but Roddy suspected the man might not be in the exact spot they left him. 

They tied off their boat outside the art museum and started walking around, scanning the area for the man. After about half an hour of searching the immediate area, they found a pile of personal items, including a backpack, blankets, and a photograph. The picture was of the homeless man and a woman. 

“That looks like him,” Roddy said. “These are probably his things, but where is he?” 

“What if he got taken?” Rita asked. “We should ask the museum workers if they know anything.”

Inside the museum. The workers had definitely heard of the man, Marty. “He is such a hoot! What a dear. He’ll come in sometimes and say the funniest things. We try to help him when we can. Haven’t seen him today though. Why do you ask?”

Roddy spoke, “We met him yesterday and he helped us quite a bit, so we were hoping to buy him lunch and have a little chat today. We found his things around the corner but no sign of him. Are you sure you haven’t seen him or know anywhere else he might be?”

“Oh no! No he usually stays around this area. I hope he’s okay. If you guys run into him make sure to give us a call. We’d love to know if he’s okay.”

“Thank you, we will.” Rita said. 

They rounded the corner to look through Marty’s things for clues. Roddy felt dirty doing it, but if it helped them make sure he wasn’t being trafficked as alligator chow he thought it was worth it. 

“Damn!” Rita kicked the wall in frustration. “Nothing. God, I hope he’s okay. We’ll have to think of something else. We need to figure this out.” 

“I know Rita, and we’re trying. Let’s think of alternatives. Dodgy parts are looking better yet?”

“They’ll have to now. I really want to find Marty.” 

“We will.” Roddy came to Rita’s side, putting his arm around her waist in a half hug as they walked back to the boat together. 

However, that meant neither of them saw their attackers coming. Roddy felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and the world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A CLIFFHANGER! I'm gonna have to leave y'all here for a bit since the next bit is the climax over a couple chapters so it needs to come out in one chunk. Or I could put it in one mega chapter and shorten the number of chapters. I'll decide later as I write it lol. 
> 
> Per the usual, please comment and let me know what you're liking and not liking! This is very much an experiment for me in terms of creative writing and characterization, so I'd love to hear if I'm hitting or missing on any of it. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Don't ask how they got Up Top when it was so hard in the movie lol. Let's pretend the Mark II can fly now or something. :')


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